How to Play Nertz

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: June 6, 2022 References

If you’re looking for a competitive variation of solitaire that you can play against your friends, Nertz is the perfect game to try during a game night. In Nertz, also known as Pounce or Peanuts, you’ll race against your friends to empty a pile of cards in front of you and earn big points. Whenever a player reaches 100 points, they win the game! Nertz is such an easy game to learn and teach to your friends, so keep reading for everything you need to know to get started.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setup

1
Give each player a deck of cards with a different design on the back. You can play Nertz with 2–6 players. Use a standard 52-card deck for each player, but make sure each deck has a unique back so you’ll easily be able to tell who played each card. Sit in a circle so you have room in the middle of the table to play cards later on.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Variation: If you want to play with more than 6 people, you can play as teams of two. Just be sure to sit next to your partner and use the same deck as them.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Deal 12 cards face-down and 1 card face-up into a Nertz pile. Shuffle your deck of cards thoroughly and deal a stack of 12 cards face-down in front of you. Place 1 card face-up on top of the stack to use as the starting card of your Nertz pile.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- The Nertz pile is the stack of 13 cards you're trying to empty. You’ll trigger the end of the game if you’re able to play all of the cards from your Nertz pile.
- Every player has their own Nertz pile.
Advertisement
3
Lay out 4 face-up cards in front of you to create your work piles. Draw the next 4 cards from your deck and set them face-up in a row next to your Nertz pile. Make sure the cards don’t overlap.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- Each card in the row forms a work pile where you can play cards from your Nertz pile or hand.
- Every player has their own work piles so you’ll never play a card in another player’s pile.
4
Hold the rest of your cards face-down in your non-dominant hand. Keep the rest of your deck in your non-dominant hand. The remaining cards form a stock pile that you can draw cards from when you get stuck later on in the game. Once everyone has their cards ready you can start the game.^{[5]
X
Research source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Gameplay

1
Play at the same time as all the other players. As soon as everyone is ready to play, do a countdown and say “Go!” Everyone wants to play all the cards in their Nertz pile as fast as they can, so race against them to earn points and win.^{[6]
X
Research source}
2
Play cards in descending order in alternating colors to your work piles. You can move cards from one work pile to another, or play the top card of your Nertz pile. Only use 1 hand to move and play your cards. When you play or move a card onto a work pile, overlap it so the card underneath is still visible.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Example: A work pile has a black 7 and the top card of your Nertz pile is a red 6. You can play the red 6 on top of the black 7.
- Example: You have a red jack in one work pile. Another work pile has a stack with a black 10 and a red 9. You can move the stack with the black 10 and red 9 on top of the red jack.
- Aces are considered the lowest card in each suit.
3
Put a card in a foundation pile if it’s in suit and next in ascending order. A foundation pile is a stack of ascending cards in the same suit played into the common area in the middle of the table. When a player has an ace in any suit, they can play it to the middle to start a foundation pile. If you have the next card of the suit on top of your Nertz pile or a work pile, you can move it to a foundation pile. Just make sure to play quickly since any player can add cards to a foundation pile.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Example: There’s a 2 of spades in the foundation pile and you have a 3 of spades on top of your Nertz pile. You can move the 3 of spades to the foundation pile and flip over the next card of your Nertz pile.
- As soon as someone plays a king on a foundation pile, flip the pile over to show that you can’t play cards to it anymore.
- You score points for playing cards to the foundation piles, so pay close attention to see if you have any cards on top of your Nertz or work piles that you can add to them.
4
Flip and play cards from your stock pile if you get stuck. If you can’t play or move cards between your Nertz or work piles, take the top 3 cards of your stock pile and flip them face-up. Set the cards in a face-up stack so they stay in the same order, known as the waste pile. You can play or move the top card of the waste pile onto a work pile or a foundation pile. Cycle through your stock pile 3 cards at a time so you can find the cards you need.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- When you run out of cards in your stock pile, flip the waste pile face-down to make your new stock pile.
- If all players are stuck and can’t make any moves, pick up your waste pile to form your stock pile. Then, take the top card of the stock pile and put it on the bottom before you resume playing.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
5
Replace an empty work pile with a card from your Nertz or waste pile. There are always 4 slots available for your work piles. If you ever move your cards and empty one of your work piles, take the top card of your Nertz pile or waste pile and set it in the empty space.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- While it’s usually best to play a card from your Nertz pile, you may want to use a high-valued card from your waste pile so you’re able to move more cards around.
6
Shout “Nertz!” after you play the last card in your Nertz pile to end the round. Each time you take the top card of the Nertz pile, reveal the next face-down card to show that it’s available to use. Once you run out of cards in your Nertz pile, call out “Nertz!” so the other players know to stop.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- If you want to score extra points, you can move cards onto the foundation piles from your work piles before you shout “Nertz.”

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Scoring

1
Count 1 point for every card you added to a foundation pile. Flip all of the foundation piles face-down and separate each player’s cards into their own piles. Count the number of total cards you played to the foundation piles so you know how many points you earned.^{[13]
X
Research source}
2
Subtract 2 points for every card left in your Nertz pile. If you weren’t able to play all the cards from your Nertz pile, they count as negative points at the end of the round. Count however many cards are left in your pile and take 2 points off of your score.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- Example: If you have 3 cards left in your Nertz pile, you’ll lose 6 points.
3
Play rounds until a player reaches 100 points. Tally up the points you had for the round and write them down so you don’t forget them. Shuffle your deck of cards and deal out a new Nertz pile and 4 work piles in front of you to start a new round. Keep playing rounds and adding to your score until a player reaches 100 points and wins!^{[15]
X
Research source}
- If 2 players cross 100 points in the same round, whoever called “Nertz!” for the round wins. Otherwise, whoever has the higher score wins.